What do you think?
Rate this book
The Associates #2
Off the Edge
She may be his worse enemy...
For deadly secret agent Peter Macmillan, language is a weapon-one he uses to hunt criminals, destroy plots, and charm enemies. Seducing information out of a beautiful singer in a Bangkok hotel should be easy... except this particular singer has the power to destroy his cool facade, and with it, his last defense against a dark past.
He may be her only hope...
He tricked her. He helped himself to her body and her secrets. He has enemies everywhere. Laney Lancaster should hate Peter, but when she discovers him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel's dungeon, all she can think about is freeing him. Because she knows what it's like to be trapped and alone. And she could use a dangerous friend. They may be wrong for each other, but the instant they join forces, Laney and Peter are plunged into an odyssey of hot sex and dark danger. To survive, they must trust each other with their lives - and their hearts.
For deadly secret agent Peter Macmillan, language is a weapon-one he uses to hunt criminals, destroy plots, and charm enemies. Seducing information out of a beautiful singer in a Bangkok hotel should be easy... except this particular singer has the power to destroy his cool facade, and with it, his last defense against a dark past.
He may be her only hope...
He tricked her. He helped himself to her body and her secrets. He has enemies everywhere. Laney Lancaster should hate Peter, but when she discovers him shirtless, sweaty, and chained up in the hotel's dungeon, all she can think about is freeing him. Because she knows what it's like to be trapped and alone. And she could use a dangerous friend. They may be wrong for each other, but the instant they join forces, Laney and Peter are plunged into an odyssey of hot sex and dark danger. To survive, they must trust each other with their lives - and their hearts.
383 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 18, 2013
783 people are currently reading
1232 people want to read
About the author
Carolyn Crane
25 books1,161 followersAfter spending her youth thoroughly obsessed with Nancy Drew and Harriet the Spy and convinced that her suburban neighborhood was awash in dangerous secrets, Carolyn Crane grew up to become a RITA-nominated author of romantic suspense, urban fantasy, and other tales of adventure and love; she also writes erotic romance about bank robbers as Annika Martin.
Her books have been published by Random House and Samhain; these days, this perfectionistic control-freak of an author likes to indie publish. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats and works a straight job as a freelance marketing writer. During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, or helping animals.
Her books have been published by Random House and Samhain; these days, this perfectionistic control-freak of an author likes to indie publish. She lives in Minneapolis with her husband and two cats and works a straight job as a freelance marketing writer. During rare moments when she’s not at her computer, she can be found reading in bed, running, or helping animals.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews
February 9, 2017
Rating ~4 stars
My binge reading of romantic suspense continues. I read two Carolyn Crane’s books from her the Associates series. I started from the second book because it had kind of a nerdy hero which is what I was looking for at the time.
Peter Macmillan is an agent from the Associates, he used to a be a professor however after the death of his fiancee and his parents this all changed. He started using his power of linguistics to identify the individual responsible for the death of his family which lead him to becoming part of the Associates. Now he’s after a guy that has a weapon that can destroy millions of people and on this mission he meets Laney. Laney Lancaster is a singer/songwriter who sings in a hotel club in Bangkok, she is also, on run from her abusive ex. When will meet, the both have this instant connection to each other and everything about laney from her song lyrics to her personality speaks to Peter, more importantly it speaks to the guy he used to. I loved these two together. Both of them were running from something and ultimately towards each other.
What I liked: I really enjoyed the book, maybe it was because of the linguistics aspect that was included in the book as well the romance and the suspense which was all done very well. This was one of those unique stories thats different from others out maybe because of the hero, Peter and the heroine, Laney are both unique and wonderful themselves and so is their romance. The action, suspense and the secrets made the book even more interesting.
What I didn’t like: One of the things I love about stories with agents or military types is the bond that keeps them together, the friendship and caring for each other. The two heads of the Associates while fascinating, make a decision about Peter, who they both individually know that made up me unhappy with them. But I’m glad Peter had friends in the Associates to be there for him. Lastly, Laney should really trust her instincts and when Peter told her to run or something she wouldn’t, one of those times she saved Peter, the others not so much which made me slightly annoyed at her.
My binge reading of romantic suspense continues. I read two Carolyn Crane’s books from her the Associates series. I started from the second book because it had kind of a nerdy hero which is what I was looking for at the time.
Peter Macmillan is an agent from the Associates, he used to a be a professor however after the death of his fiancee and his parents this all changed. He started using his power of linguistics to identify the individual responsible for the death of his family which lead him to becoming part of the Associates. Now he’s after a guy that has a weapon that can destroy millions of people and on this mission he meets Laney. Laney Lancaster is a singer/songwriter who sings in a hotel club in Bangkok, she is also, on run from her abusive ex. When will meet, the both have this instant connection to each other and everything about laney from her song lyrics to her personality speaks to Peter, more importantly it speaks to the guy he used to. I loved these two together. Both of them were running from something and ultimately towards each other.
What I liked: I really enjoyed the book, maybe it was because of the linguistics aspect that was included in the book as well the romance and the suspense which was all done very well. This was one of those unique stories thats different from others out maybe because of the hero, Peter and the heroine, Laney are both unique and wonderful themselves and so is their romance. The action, suspense and the secrets made the book even more interesting.
What I didn’t like: One of the things I love about stories with agents or military types is the bond that keeps them together, the friendship and caring for each other. The two heads of the Associates while fascinating, make a decision about Peter, who they both individually know that made up me unhappy with them. But I’m glad Peter had friends in the Associates to be there for him. Lastly, Laney should really trust her instincts and when Peter told her to run or something she wouldn’t, one of those times she saved Peter, the others not so much which made me slightly annoyed at her.
December 22, 2013
Laney is on the run. She sent Rolly, her violent and abusive husband to prison, but he isn't one to forgive and she can never let her guard down. She has landed in Thailand where she works as a singer in a friend's hotel...far from his reach. Until Rolly's second in command and main enforcer walks into the restaurant where she is having lunch.
Macmillan is a hunter. But his weapon isn't a gun, it's words. Since he lost everyone he loved in a terrorist attack, he has used their very own words to hunt down evil doers around the world. He is in Thailand hunting the Jazzman, a criminal with a weapon to sell, a weapon that in the wrong hands could bring governments to their knees. When he sees Laney singing in the hotel where the auction is being held, he immediately knows she is on the run, he feels an immediate connection to her, and then he discovers she might hold the key to catching the Jazzman.
Romantic Suspense is a genre dominated by a few archetypes and a few recurring themes. I don't often see something I haven't already seen a bunch of times. But Carolyn Crane always, and I really do mean always, surprises me. She somehow finds these completely oddball ideas and manages to build believable and thoroughly entertaining stories around them.
Solid gold five stars.
Many thanks to Crush Star Multimedia and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC
Macmillan is a hunter. But his weapon isn't a gun, it's words. Since he lost everyone he loved in a terrorist attack, he has used their very own words to hunt down evil doers around the world. He is in Thailand hunting the Jazzman, a criminal with a weapon to sell, a weapon that in the wrong hands could bring governments to their knees. When he sees Laney singing in the hotel where the auction is being held, he immediately knows she is on the run, he feels an immediate connection to her, and then he discovers she might hold the key to catching the Jazzman.
Romantic Suspense is a genre dominated by a few archetypes and a few recurring themes. I don't often see something I haven't already seen a bunch of times. But Carolyn Crane always, and I really do mean always, surprises me. She somehow finds these completely oddball ideas and manages to build believable and thoroughly entertaining stories around them.
Solid gold five stars.
Many thanks to Crush Star Multimedia and Netgalley for providing me with this ARC
July 30, 2015
3.5
You need to suspend your disbelief to fully enjoy this story. Otherwise the ridiculousness of certain parts would be too much. A wounded, recently tortured person can hardly think of sex or carry someone of their back. The timing of sexual scenes is embarrassingly off.
However, I liked Laney and her autobiographical songs. She is more believable and likeable than the heroine from the first book. Also, Macmillan's area of expertise is original enough to make me really like this story and the introduction of the next main character is well incorporated into the storyline. I can't say that the way the Associates operate is a new thing (you've seen it in a lot of films featuring the CIA) but it doesn't make it any less interesting.
I liked it.
You need to suspend your disbelief to fully enjoy this story. Otherwise the ridiculousness of certain parts would be too much. A wounded, recently tortured person can hardly think of sex or carry someone of their back. The timing of sexual scenes is embarrassingly off.
However, I liked Laney and her autobiographical songs. She is more believable and likeable than the heroine from the first book. Also, Macmillan's area of expertise is original enough to make me really like this story and the introduction of the next main character is well incorporated into the storyline. I can't say that the way the Associates operate is a new thing (you've seen it in a lot of films featuring the CIA) but it doesn't make it any less interesting.
I liked it.
May 7, 2014
So the first book pulled me in so much that I immediately jumped to this one and I must say I loved this. The heroine is a battered wife on the run and the hero is a man who dissects words, speech, his connection with emotions tenuous ever since he lost his family. He sees the heroine and through her songs immediately grasps her whole story but he needs her for access and has no compunction in using her. I must admit though there were many contrived things in the book I just enjoyed the way it was written despite the fact that the heroine really had too many TSTL (too stupid to live moments). I cannot wait for the next book though I am not sure I will enjoy a secret baby storyline but so far I am placing my faith in this author.
July 29, 2016
3.5 stars
I'm really excited for Carolyn Crane new release as usual. I've read most of her books and I love Book 1 Against the Dark featuring Cole, the math expert and Angel, the safe cracker.
This time we have Peter Maxwell Macmillan, the linguist expert, who was cool, dapper and together. Hmm... love these brainiac men. The things he can deduced from listening to someone talking was simply fascinating. I kinda felt afraid to talk in front of him, worried he might discover my deepest secrets.
"When you're a dragon and your habitat is legends, the shadow of a high rise, a bed of wrappers, that's nothing."
Our heroine, Laney was the ex-wife of Rolly, a mobster. She was living out her life hiding in Bangkok. For two years, she had an invisible life as lounge singer or so she thought, until she met Maxwell, the man who hear her cry through her songs.
Macmillan was on a mission to track Jazzman, who was going to auction off the TZ (some sort of high tech weapon that can level down an entire city). The Associates need to find Jazzman and stop the auction from happening.
Laney happened to have something that Macmillan need in order to further his research and he set out upon to befriend her. They have an instant connection due to their interest in poetry and language in general. When Laney found out that Macmillan was not who he seemed to be and worried that he might be working for Rolly, she felt torn, yet she still want to believe in the man who seemed to connect with her.
Macmillan seemed like some kind of superhero that just won't go down. He had been tortured, held imprisoned and beaten to a pulp, yet he was still up and running. He tend wall up his feelings by rationalizing every situation with words. He even want to talk about what the word 'fuck' meant in different situation. I found Laney to be the perfect match for him. They both can discuss about the meaning behind every words all day long.
"You bleeding?"
"No. I've shifted to the coagulation and infection stage. I'm running them concurrently."
This had a very good engaging action and suspense plot. However, I'm a little disappointed that it was light on romance. The multiple POV from different players gave us a three dimensional perspective, but it take the focus off the hero and heroine. Macmillan and Laney was only together in 40% of the story and even that they were mostly in life threatening situation. I still prefer Book 1 Against the Dark. It had a more well balance romance, action and humour. Considering other players such as Dax, Rio and Thorne were featured heavily, I wonder why did Cole not make any appearance?
I'm really excited for Carolyn Crane new release as usual. I've read most of her books and I love Book 1 Against the Dark featuring Cole, the math expert and Angel, the safe cracker.
This time we have Peter Maxwell Macmillan, the linguist expert, who was cool, dapper and together. Hmm... love these brainiac men. The things he can deduced from listening to someone talking was simply fascinating. I kinda felt afraid to talk in front of him, worried he might discover my deepest secrets.
"When you're a dragon and your habitat is legends, the shadow of a high rise, a bed of wrappers, that's nothing."
Our heroine, Laney was the ex-wife of Rolly, a mobster. She was living out her life hiding in Bangkok. For two years, she had an invisible life as lounge singer or so she thought, until she met Maxwell, the man who hear her cry through her songs.
Macmillan was on a mission to track Jazzman, who was going to auction off the TZ (some sort of high tech weapon that can level down an entire city). The Associates need to find Jazzman and stop the auction from happening.
Laney happened to have something that Macmillan need in order to further his research and he set out upon to befriend her. They have an instant connection due to their interest in poetry and language in general. When Laney found out that Macmillan was not who he seemed to be and worried that he might be working for Rolly, she felt torn, yet she still want to believe in the man who seemed to connect with her.
Macmillan seemed like some kind of superhero that just won't go down. He had been tortured, held imprisoned and beaten to a pulp, yet he was still up and running. He tend wall up his feelings by rationalizing every situation with words. He even want to talk about what the word 'fuck' meant in different situation. I found Laney to be the perfect match for him. They both can discuss about the meaning behind every words all day long.
"You bleeding?"
"No. I've shifted to the coagulation and infection stage. I'm running them concurrently."
This had a very good engaging action and suspense plot. However, I'm a little disappointed that it was light on romance. The multiple POV from different players gave us a three dimensional perspective, but it take the focus off the hero and heroine. Macmillan and Laney was only together in 40% of the story and even that they were mostly in life threatening situation. I still prefer Book 1 Against the Dark. It had a more well balance romance, action and humour. Considering other players such as Dax, Rio and Thorne were featured heavily, I wonder why did Cole not make any appearance?
December 18, 2013
4.5 stars (I may round up to a 5. For now, a 4. Need to let the book high settle down. ;)
Smart, Sexy Romantic Suspense...Loved it!
Review to come.
ARC provided by author in exchange for reviewing book #1. Reviewing this book (#2) is optional.
Smart, Sexy Romantic Suspense...Loved it!
Review to come.
ARC provided by author in exchange for reviewing book #1. Reviewing this book (#2) is optional.
January 23, 2016
I went into this book hoping that Macmillan would have to suffer and be brought down to his knees for being a huge douche in the last book, but I was left sorely disappointed. Instead, like the last book, the heroine, Laney, forgives him rather easily. And actually, this book just felt like a lazy rehash of the first at times. Repeating a single trope or element isn't necessary bad, but when you're doing it two, three, five, (etc) times...well, it starts feeling like I'm looking at the same image, just with a slightly different finish.
This book is super instalovey, just like the first one. In fact, the "love" connection happens over a three day span...exactly like the first one. And just like the first one, the h has sexual hang-ups, while the H sleeps with many women. In the first one there was a running joke (them pretending to be in a relationship and calling one another "darling"), which is an element present here, as well (with the hotel star ratings). First one, heroine is running from a past; this one, heroine is running from a past. First, H claims he can't love for whatever reason; in this, same thing. First, damsel in distress rescue by the H; second, TSTL damsel in distress rescue by the H. In both, the H deceives the h.
You see what I mean? One of those elements being repeated would've been fine, but when you've got so many...? Well, you may as well stick the other characters names in place of the ones in this and call it a day. (The only thing I'm grateful for is that at least the H doesn't spend three-fourths of the novel dead-set on the idea that he must sacrifice the h if worse comes to worst.)
And of those repeated elements, I really wasn't happy with a lot of it.
The whole cliched ~tortured past~ hero who can't love for whatever reason? Been there, done that; nothing new here. In this book, he feels he doesn't have the ability to love anymore after having lost his family, including his fiancee, Gwen, in a terrorist attack ten years ago. Fine. That's fair, I guess. My problem is that while he's got this tortured bullshit going on, the heroine isn't being a big emo baby like he is. She spent years in a frightening, abusive relationship, and is still in hiding from said abusive husband and his goons, yet she's not afraid to love and go out on a limb. It's annoying that the H gets an excuse for being horrible.
And like the first book, the sexual hang-ups of the h and the promiscuity of the H were very annoying. In this book, it's mentioned over and over again that Macmillan has been with many, many women. He's said to have "had a lot of sex" and has "extensive experience undressing the opposite sex" because he's "seduced dozens of women," even though, to him, "sex was nothing but a highly useful tool," which was used "always for the job."
The heroine, in contrast to this, doesn't get that. Even though she was with her abusive ex for several years, and even though she's had sex since she went into hiding two years ago, she's never experienced a single orgasm with a sexual partner. Ugh...really? Really? I hated this gigantic difference in their sex lives. At first I was grateful that Laney wasn't a virgin, but I was still afraid she might've been celibate during those two years on the run. And then I was happy to learn that she wasn't. However, she may as well have been (a virgin or celibate) because Macmillan shows up and becomes her sexual salvation. Also, this disparity in their sexual experiences was similar to how it was in the first, with the heroine having been celibate for five years there.
If the H, who has a tortured past, gets to have lots of sex and enjoy it, can't the h be given the same? She's already had to suffer through an abusive relationship since she was 18, couldn't she be given the benefit of sexual pleasure in that time? Ugh.
Another thing between Laney and Macmillan that left me annoyed was Macmillan's late fiancee, Gwen. There are a lot of mentions of her. He was completely in love with her, and he's pretty much been dead inside since she was killed. So while Laney is special in the sense that he's had no feelings for the "dozens of women" he's been with in the last ten years, when compared to Gwen, she's nothing special in that he's never felt it before. He always relays how he feels for Laney back to Gwen ("since Gwen" this, "since Gwen" that), which got annoying to hear about. Although Laney is something new in the last ten years and he cares for her, it's annoying to read that while he's a new and wonderful and unique experience for her, she's not the same because he's already felt it all before.
Another repeated element was with h forgiving the H for his deceit very easily. The first book was pretty stingy with the emotional fallout and grovelling, but I was hoping the author would remedy that here. After being a huge douche in the last book, I was hoping Macmillan would have to suffer Laney's anger because he had sex with her under false pretenses and used her. Instead, he saves her and all is forgiven. I was so dissatisfied with it, just like in the last. So, you can have the hero being mean, deceitful and just saying and doing hurtful things to the heroine time and again, but he doesn't have to grovel or make up for any of it because, thanks to the author's machinations, the heroine is put into a situation in which the hero has to ride in on his white horse and rescue the damsel in distress heroine.
And let's talk about that, shall we. In the first book, the heroine makes a TSTL decision. I didn't like it, but I still felt it could be excused because I'd felt that the author had set it up well enough that, within the context of the novel, it was a believable decision to make on her part. In this one, the heroine's just an idiot. Besides, in the first book, Angel was forced into going along with what Cole wanted. In this one, Laney is just an idiot for trusting someone she knows jack shit about. Like, this guy deceived her, slept with her under false pretenses, was caught snooping through her computer, and then found to be carrying three guns, including one designed to beat metal detectors. And she thinks this guy's all good and trustworthy...compared to the family who's housed her, sheltered her, and has just had her back and protected her for the last two years? Sure, it works out in the end because Macmillan is the "good" guy, but it's dumb when you really think about it.
And Macmillan was also right about her performing. She's on the run...and she think it's perfectly fine to sing in front of dozens of foreign people nightly in a hotel? And to wear a hat...that obviously someone who's trying to hide their identity would wear? You don't even have to be a genius Associate to realize the stupidity in that!
And then, even though she suspects her bff, Rajini, and her brothers, she still confides in them. She's suspicious of Rajini (and even has them confirmed when she realizes Rajini actually IS lying to her), but she still tells her that her brother, Charlie, is acting weird. It's dumb and TSTL. On one hand, she's trusting Macmillan and being suspicious of her friends, on the other she's confiding in said friends she's suspicious of. It's inconsistent and makes no sense.
Anyway, I'll continue reading the series because it's mindless entertainment (and I already have the other books), and I'm interested in knowing what's going to happen with the Association next, but I wouldn't rec it if you're looking for more here. tbh, if you've read the first one, you've pretty much read this one, too.
On a side note, if you torture is a trigger or just makes you uncomfortable, I'd avoid this book. Macmillan is tortured at one point (And while we're talking about that...can we just all agree that after your SO has been beat up, ...it's probably not the time to have sex, ya know? Like...we can all agree to this, right?)
And on a final note...what was up with the mole in the Association from the last book? It was mentioned that Cole recognized the name when they caught the mole, but it wasn't elaborated on after being solved. I didn't mention it in my review for the other book because I assumed it'd be built up on at a later point, but it wasn't mentioned at all here. Disappointing, tbh, if it was simply used as a plot device.
This book is super instalovey, just like the first one. In fact, the "love" connection happens over a three day span...exactly like the first one. And just like the first one, the h has sexual hang-ups, while the H sleeps with many women. In the first one there was a running joke (them pretending to be in a relationship and calling one another "darling"), which is an element present here, as well (with the hotel star ratings). First one, heroine is running from a past; this one, heroine is running from a past. First, H claims he can't love for whatever reason; in this, same thing. First, damsel in distress rescue by the H; second, TSTL damsel in distress rescue by the H. In both, the H deceives the h.
You see what I mean? One of those elements being repeated would've been fine, but when you've got so many...? Well, you may as well stick the other characters names in place of the ones in this and call it a day. (The only thing I'm grateful for is that at least the H doesn't spend three-fourths of the novel dead-set on the idea that he must sacrifice the h if worse comes to worst.)
And of those repeated elements, I really wasn't happy with a lot of it.
The whole cliched ~tortured past~ hero who can't love for whatever reason? Been there, done that; nothing new here. In this book, he feels he doesn't have the ability to love anymore after having lost his family, including his fiancee, Gwen, in a terrorist attack ten years ago. Fine. That's fair, I guess. My problem is that while he's got this tortured bullshit going on, the heroine isn't being a big emo baby like he is. She spent years in a frightening, abusive relationship, and is still in hiding from said abusive husband and his goons, yet she's not afraid to love and go out on a limb. It's annoying that the H gets an excuse for being horrible.
And like the first book, the sexual hang-ups of the h and the promiscuity of the H were very annoying. In this book, it's mentioned over and over again that Macmillan has been with many, many women. He's said to have "had a lot of sex" and has "extensive experience undressing the opposite sex" because he's "seduced dozens of women," even though, to him, "sex was nothing but a highly useful tool," which was used "always for the job."
The heroine, in contrast to this, doesn't get that. Even though she was with her abusive ex for several years, and even though she's had sex since she went into hiding two years ago, she's never experienced a single orgasm with a sexual partner. Ugh...really? Really? I hated this gigantic difference in their sex lives. At first I was grateful that Laney wasn't a virgin, but I was still afraid she might've been celibate during those two years on the run. And then I was happy to learn that she wasn't. However, she may as well have been (a virgin or celibate) because Macmillan shows up and becomes her sexual salvation. Also, this disparity in their sexual experiences was similar to how it was in the first, with the heroine having been celibate for five years there.
If the H, who has a tortured past, gets to have lots of sex and enjoy it, can't the h be given the same? She's already had to suffer through an abusive relationship since she was 18, couldn't she be given the benefit of sexual pleasure in that time? Ugh.
Another thing between Laney and Macmillan that left me annoyed was Macmillan's late fiancee, Gwen. There are a lot of mentions of her. He was completely in love with her, and he's pretty much been dead inside since she was killed. So while Laney is special in the sense that he's had no feelings for the "dozens of women" he's been with in the last ten years, when compared to Gwen, she's nothing special in that he's never felt it before. He always relays how he feels for Laney back to Gwen ("since Gwen" this, "since Gwen" that), which got annoying to hear about. Although Laney is something new in the last ten years and he cares for her, it's annoying to read that while he's a new and wonderful and unique experience for her, she's not the same because he's already felt it all before.
Another repeated element was with h forgiving the H for his deceit very easily. The first book was pretty stingy with the emotional fallout and grovelling, but I was hoping the author would remedy that here. After being a huge douche in the last book, I was hoping Macmillan would have to suffer Laney's anger because he had sex with her under false pretenses and used her. Instead, he saves her and all is forgiven. I was so dissatisfied with it, just like in the last. So, you can have the hero being mean, deceitful and just saying and doing hurtful things to the heroine time and again, but he doesn't have to grovel or make up for any of it because, thanks to the author's machinations, the heroine is put into a situation in which the hero has to ride in on his white horse and rescue the damsel in distress heroine.
And let's talk about that, shall we. In the first book, the heroine makes a TSTL decision. I didn't like it, but I still felt it could be excused because I'd felt that the author had set it up well enough that, within the context of the novel, it was a believable decision to make on her part. In this one, the heroine's just an idiot. Besides, in the first book, Angel was forced into going along with what Cole wanted. In this one, Laney is just an idiot for trusting someone she knows jack shit about. Like, this guy deceived her, slept with her under false pretenses, was caught snooping through her computer, and then found to be carrying three guns, including one designed to beat metal detectors. And she thinks this guy's all good and trustworthy...compared to the family who's housed her, sheltered her, and has just had her back and protected her for the last two years? Sure, it works out in the end because Macmillan is the "good" guy, but it's dumb when you really think about it.
And Macmillan was also right about her performing. She's on the run...and she think it's perfectly fine to sing in front of dozens of foreign people nightly in a hotel? And to wear a hat...that obviously someone who's trying to hide their identity would wear? You don't even have to be a genius Associate to realize the stupidity in that!
And then, even though she suspects her bff, Rajini, and her brothers, she still confides in them. She's suspicious of Rajini (and even has them confirmed when she realizes Rajini actually IS lying to her), but she still tells her that her brother, Charlie, is acting weird. It's dumb and TSTL. On one hand, she's trusting Macmillan and being suspicious of her friends, on the other she's confiding in said friends she's suspicious of. It's inconsistent and makes no sense.
Anyway, I'll continue reading the series because it's mindless entertainment (and I already have the other books), and I'm interested in knowing what's going to happen with the Association next, but I wouldn't rec it if you're looking for more here. tbh, if you've read the first one, you've pretty much read this one, too.
On a side note, if you torture is a trigger or just makes you uncomfortable, I'd avoid this book. Macmillan is tortured at one point (And while we're talking about that...can we just all agree that after your SO has been beat up, ...it's probably not the time to have sex, ya know? Like...we can all agree to this, right?)
And on a final note...what was up with the mole in the Association from the last book? It was mentioned that Cole recognized the name when they caught the mole, but it wasn't elaborated on after being solved. I didn't mention it in my review for the other book because I assumed it'd be built up on at a later point, but it wasn't mentioned at all here. Disappointing, tbh, if it was simply used as a plot device.
December 27, 2013
Laney grinned. “Zero stars. And that’s final.” He watched her. He couldn’t believe the miracle of her, or how beautiful and brave she was. But that wasn’t the phrase, not precisely. She felt good and endless, and he wanted to never stop discovering her.
This is the second book in Carolyn Crane Associates Series, a fast paced series set around a group of spies with brains called the Associates. Although this is a series, Off the Edge could be read as a stand alone. The world is outlined in each book but i've enjoyed reading this series from the beginning. Off the Edge just feels more polished and developed or maybe it's just that I fell so hard for this story and once Macmillan and his white shirt graced the page, I was simply lost.
I wish I could find the right words to describe how much I enjoyed every aspect of this book. But wow, I just loved this book. In many ways it reminded me of my favorite suspense series, Suzanne Brockmann, Troubleshooter series but without all the side stories. First off I should say i'm not a huge suspense fan so i'm not an expert on how they should be done and for me Off the Edge moved past being put in a box with its moving story, descriptive nuances and characters you could connect with.
Something happens the moment that Peter "Maxwell" Macmillan sees Laney singing on stage. The songs she wrote from the heart seem to float over everyone else but they're a bullseye for Peter. He's lost in her descriptions and in that moment he must know more about Laney.
Maxwell listened. He saw her. He soaked her in, seemed almost to enjoy her, with a kind of sparkle in his eye that seemed just for her. It made her feel happy, bold. And it was mercilessly sexy.
Then theres Macmillan... Peter the man he once was is drawn so desperately to Laney that he torn like never before between his mission with the Association and his desire to be near Laney. You see he's a linguistic specialist with brawn in fact Laney described Maxwell as an academic Indiana Jones and I loved that!
“A linguist secret agent. Did you grow up thinking, I want to be so goddamn cool someday?”
The mission of finding this super weapon was fun and it intrigued me. There was a lot of running, guns and fighting and I thought that was written very realistic. I found myself at the edge of my seat many times as Macmillan was in danger and asking Laney to leave him.
Maybe his efforts to save Laney had unbalanced the mission and set countless arms dealers after her. Well, he’d save her from them, too. He’d save the whole goddamn world, because just watching her twirl a twisty tie made him feel hopeful. And every one of her crazy words filled him with unspeakable joy. And the way she held her lips when she was angry made him happy, and so did her filthy mouth, and all that energetic red hair she hid under that brown dye. There was even something about those songs of hers, much as they nettled him. No, it was more that they pierced him…pummeled him.
In conclusion, I found Off the Edge to be an engaging not your traditional romantic suspense novel. Character that you wanted to get to know better and writing that blew me away. Plus this book is sexy, I mean SEXY (yes, in all caps). I heard that Miss Crane took her time writing this book and it simply shows. If you haven't guessed, I loved Off the Edge and now I get to wait for the third book in the series... I can't wait!!
ARC courtesy of CrushStar Multimedia LLC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. All quotes were taken from the pre-released ARC and should be viewed accordingly.
August 24, 2013
Got to read an early copy and loved this just as much as the first in the series. The suspense and sexiness is a perfect balance! I want more of the Associates!
May 15, 2015
3.5 stars
Originally posted at The Book Nympho
The suspense in Off the Edge takes center stage. With the mission and running from Laney's ex the action and emotions run high. But don't worry there's enough romance and sexy to keep romance lovers happy.
Laney is an american living in Bangkok. Sounds exotic, right? Yeah it would be if she wasn't hiding from her ex. Then she meets a handsome stranger that knows all the right things to say and is deadly as hell.
Peter is in Bangkok on a mission with the Association, a top-secret group working to take down evil people. And he knows all the right things to say because he's a linguistics expert. He can hunt people down by their voices and they way they talk.
Laney and Peter's attraction is super hot and they are just what the other needs. Peter needs help letting go and opening up. Laney helps him do that. Laney needs help learning to be a little closed off when it's called for and Peter helps her see that. There really is a balance to the two when they are together.
So far each book in the Associates series by Carolyn Crane could be read as a stand alone. Some of the secondary characters show up but you wouldn't be lost if you started with Off the Edge .
Next please! I'm now reading book 3, Into the Shadows.
Originally posted at The Book Nympho
The suspense in Off the Edge takes center stage. With the mission and running from Laney's ex the action and emotions run high. But don't worry there's enough romance and sexy to keep romance lovers happy.
Laney is an american living in Bangkok. Sounds exotic, right? Yeah it would be if she wasn't hiding from her ex. Then she meets a handsome stranger that knows all the right things to say and is deadly as hell.
Peter is in Bangkok on a mission with the Association, a top-secret group working to take down evil people. And he knows all the right things to say because he's a linguistics expert. He can hunt people down by their voices and they way they talk.
Laney and Peter's attraction is super hot and they are just what the other needs. Peter needs help letting go and opening up. Laney helps him do that. Laney needs help learning to be a little closed off when it's called for and Peter helps her see that. There really is a balance to the two when they are together.
So far each book in the Associates series by Carolyn Crane could be read as a stand alone. Some of the secondary characters show up but you wouldn't be lost if you started with Off the Edge .
Next please! I'm now reading book 3, Into the Shadows.
May 21, 2018
this review was originally published at All About Romance
Romantic suspense is one of the most "difficult to do well" sub genres in romance. If the romance works the suspense is often weak. If the suspense is fabulous, the romance is often unbelievable.
But those of us who like romantic suspense got lucky in 2013. Carolyn Crane published two books in her The Associates series. The first of these, Against the Dark, is a very good book. The second, Off the Edge, is even better.
Peter McMillan was, in an earlier life, a brilliant scholar of linguistics. His life was shattered ten years ago when a bomb on a train blew up everyone he loved. Now he's a covert agent who works for the Association, a ruthless, shadowy, vigilante organization dedicated to, as its leader Dax says, "keeping the balance of power intact. Keeping World War III from happening. And stopping the most despicable crimes." Peter, in addition to being a stone cold killer, is a hunter. And his choice of weapon is language.
Nobody escaped Macmillan. Back when he had been a rising star in the linguistics world, he could spend entire months studying the way different people pronounced a diphthong like the ow in low, and draw all kinds of conclusions about what that meant. He could see a universe in a single word choice. He used his expertise to understand people, and by extension, humanity itself.
Peter is in Bangkok, along with representatives from every evil corner of the world. They've all gathered because a weapon, a weapon which will give its owner the ability to rule the world, is being put up for auction by the criminal Jazzman. The Associates are there to make sure the good guys get the weapon. The problem is no one knows who Jazzman is. Peter, however, has studied everything the Association has on Jazzman, and will be able to identify him if he can hear him speak.
Jazzman is indeed coming to Bangkok to auction off the weapon, the TZ – 5. He is also coming to capture his ex-wife, a woman who turned him over to the law and then ran. This woman, Laney Lancaster, has been hiding out in Bangkok for the past two years, living in the Bangkok Imperiale Hotel Des Roses, owned by a family of Thai criminals, where she thinks she is safe. Laney too loves words; she's a singer songwriter who performs nightly at the hotel. Unfortunately for Laney Jazzman has chosen the Hotel Des Roses as the place to hold his iniquitous auction.
Peter is drawn to Laney from the moment he hears her sing. That's not why he seduces her, however. He beds her in order to steal her recording of the night's show from her laptop. He thinks there's a good chance that if he listens to all the voices of those watching her show – almost all of whom are there for the TZ – 5 auction – he'll be able to figure out who Jazzman is.
Ms. Crane takes this very suspenseful set up and imbues it with enough adrenaline to keep readers eagerly and anxiously flipping the pages. Within a few chapters, seemingly everyone is after Laney and Peter as they wend their way through the back alleys of Bangkok. It seems impossible Laney will be able to escape her heinous troll of a husband, the Associates will be able to get their hands on the TZ–5, or Peter will survive to live another day let alone find a way to live happily ever after. Just as in the Ice series, it's unclear whom Laney can trust and whom Peter can rely on. The two are forced to work together in order to survive and together they make a damn good team and a surpassingly sexy couple.
There are so many great things about this book. The plot is excellent, the suspense riveting, the location palpable, the secondary characters stark and interesting, and the writing brilliant. Peter and Laney have incredible chemistry, physical and verbal. The conversations are full of wit, sex, and smarts.
Take this scene where Laney is trying to rescue Peter who is trying to convince her to save herself instead.
She paused only a moment. “I get it.” She began to unbend a paperclip. “You don’t want me in danger or something, so you’re being jerky. Chivalry noted and rejected.”
“Is that what I’m doing?”
“I think it is.”
She felt his eyes on her.
“And this is the expert assessment from the woman who thinks a cornpone hee-haw singing show is a capital way to hide?”
His words were a punch in the gut.
She tried not to show it. “Excuse me?”
“Cornpone hee-haw singing show,” he repeated. “It’s rather precise, don’t you think? Hardly needs a supporting cast.”
“I know what you’re doing,” she said.
“You don’t know the first thing about me.”
“I know you think words are your bitch. Just some shell game for you to play. Making things real that aren’t, or putting a new face on things you don’t like. But guess what?” She fixed him with a good glare. They were close enough to kiss, but that wasn’t in the air now. “When a man is chained up in a cage like a circus tiger, then it’s the right thing to help him. And doing the right thing is always the right thing. And I’ll tell you something else: when a dog gets run over by a car, it’s a goddamn tragedy, not an exercise in phonemes. So take the fucking paperclip and unlock yourself.”
He laughed that beautiful laugh.
You think it’s funny?”
Oh it’s not funny so much as delicious,” he said. “I see you read my book.”
“That’s right. A whole lot of bunk designed to hornswoggle folks.”
“What a coincidence,” he said. “That’s what I was planning on calling my next book. A Whole Lot of Bunk Designed to Hornswoggle Folks Two. What do you think?”
I love this book. It’s nearly flawless. It gets an A from me.
January 4, 2014
Off the Edge is the second in the Associates, a romantic suspense series. While I am a fan of Suzanne Brockman’s Troubleshooter series, I tend not to be a fan generally of romantic suspense. For awhile, I thought I might be into romantic suspense but then I realized it was only the Troubleshooters that I loved. So Off the Edge is not in my typical genre. In many romantic suspense novels I tried, I just couldn’t buy into the caper or the suspense part and (I hesitate to say this) in the romantic suspense genre the characters seem to be less well developed – the stories focus more on an unbelievable action story and steam. Please forgive me if I am trampling all over your preferred genre and I admit I have only tried a few non-Troubleshooters romantic suspense books. (So if you have some romantic suspense you think I should try with fantastically developed characters ala Suzanne Brockmann, let me know!) But if an author gives me a meaty well-written character, that is not perfect nor a stereotype then I will likely enjoy the book — and that is what Off the Edge delivers. Add in to the truly beautiful writing,
The setting is Bangkok and the story takes place almost entirely inside of a hotel where the heroine is living and has been living for several years. The heroine, Laney, is on the run from an abusive scary husband and lives in the hotel where she performs every night. She sings country style songs that she wrote herself and which have immense emotional meaning to her. The hero, Macmillan, is a linguist and words are his super power. He works for an agency and the skill he offers his employer, rooted in his linguist background, is his ability to recognize voice patterns and identify people by those patterns. Macmillan’s love for words and speech patterns first attracts him to Laney – he becomes interested in the songs she sings (which she wrote). Once the two meet, there is some cute word play, which was pretty unexpected.
And of course the sparks fly between the two. Macmillan is not the perfect spy-hero. When we meet him he is tired and over the course of the book he acknowledges that certain villains could take him because he is tired and has been physically beat up. But his focus is on speech and fighting the bad guys with his knowledge and that is where the battle for him takes place. It was fun to watch.
Laney is definitely not the perfect heroine (for me this is part of the appeal). She can’t fight and she repeatedly makes bad choices. But the choices make sense in the story itself and that is what I loved. She is caught in an impossible situation and she wants to believe that the people who are her friends really do care for her. Throughout the story, Macmillan questions Laney’s choices and makes fun of her attempts at hiding from her husband and I loved that!
The author sets up a situation where yeah, Laney isn’t the perfect on the run heroine and then has the other characters call her out on it. Perfect. For me, Carolyn Crane deliberate wrote Laney’s choices as the critique of her choices was part of the story line. So for me that worked. I loved Laney and I got her.
In the end, Off the Edge is funny, sweet, steamy and enjoyable. It is a quick action packed read. Fans of Carolyn Crane will most certainly enjoy this book. Readers who enjoy characters who don’t fit stereotypical hero/heroine molds and like word play banter will enjoy Off the Edge.
To more of this review and others like it check out Badass Book Reviews
“Maybe she could trust him. The idea of trusting him felt like a flower in her heart.”
“You saw a lot of this mix of color and concrete grubbiness in Bangkok. Decrepitude and wealth at vivid angles with each other, like shards from different mirrors.”
The setting is Bangkok and the story takes place almost entirely inside of a hotel where the heroine is living and has been living for several years. The heroine, Laney, is on the run from an abusive scary husband and lives in the hotel where she performs every night. She sings country style songs that she wrote herself and which have immense emotional meaning to her. The hero, Macmillan, is a linguist and words are his super power. He works for an agency and the skill he offers his employer, rooted in his linguist background, is his ability to recognize voice patterns and identify people by those patterns. Macmillan’s love for words and speech patterns first attracts him to Laney – he becomes interested in the songs she sings (which she wrote). Once the two meet, there is some cute word play, which was pretty unexpected.
“You bleeding?” “No,” he said. “I’ve shifted to the coagulation and infection stage. I’m running them concurrently.”
“Well, thank you, Professor Devilwell, PhD in asshole arrogance.”
And of course the sparks fly between the two. Macmillan is not the perfect spy-hero. When we meet him he is tired and over the course of the book he acknowledges that certain villains could take him because he is tired and has been physically beat up. But his focus is on speech and fighting the bad guys with his knowledge and that is where the battle for him takes place. It was fun to watch.
Laney is definitely not the perfect heroine (for me this is part of the appeal). She can’t fight and she repeatedly makes bad choices. But the choices make sense in the story itself and that is what I loved. She is caught in an impossible situation and she wants to believe that the people who are her friends really do care for her. Throughout the story, Macmillan questions Laney’s choices and makes fun of her attempts at hiding from her husband and I loved that!
“You don’t wait until it so obvious that a man in a cell in the basement of a tropical hotel has to point it out to you. No, you fly.”
“There’s no such thing as a Disney criminal, Laney.”
The author sets up a situation where yeah, Laney isn’t the perfect on the run heroine and then has the other characters call her out on it. Perfect. For me, Carolyn Crane deliberate wrote Laney’s choices as the critique of her choices was part of the story line. So for me that worked. I loved Laney and I got her.
In the end, Off the Edge is funny, sweet, steamy and enjoyable. It is a quick action packed read. Fans of Carolyn Crane will most certainly enjoy this book. Readers who enjoy characters who don’t fit stereotypical hero/heroine molds and like word play banter will enjoy Off the Edge.
To more of this review and others like it check out Badass Book Reviews
December 21, 2013
4.5 stars
This is an ARC Review originally posted at:
http://loveaffairwithanereader.blogsp...
Off the Edge is book two in The Associates series by Carolyn Crane.
Carolyn Crane writes deliciously complicated stories. They are so smart and clever, it makes me feel smarter after I read them. In Off the Edge, she uses linguistics as the centerpiece of the story. Linguistics is a weapon. I've taken a few linguistic classes in my career and no one has ever made it as fun as Ms. Crane. I bet if language professors could promote linguistics as a superhero skill, there would be lines of students trying to get into classes.
There is a certain quality to Carolyn Crane's writing. I can't quite put my finger on it. All I can say is that when I read her books, I think of movies created in primary colors - like the Dick Tracy movie starring Warren Beatty. I think it is because her characters are colorful. They have unique gifts, oftentimes cerebral talents, like this one. Peter MacMillian is a linguist. He studies pauses, cadences, sounds, slang, and he can track them to a geographic region. It is impressive to realize how much one gives away in the the way one talks and the words one chooses. Yes, it is a language GPS.
He could see a universe in a single word choice. He used his expertise to understand people, and by extension humanity itself.
Yet, there is also ambiguity in this story as well. It is not always clear who the heroes and villains are. People you think are heroes don't always act heroically. Villains are not always who they seem. Like I said, complicated.
This is also a love story. Laney is a poet, singer/songwriter running from her abusive past. She is living in Thailand terrified that her ex-husband will find her. Here she meets Peter, a stranger who shares a similar love for words and poetry. They connect on a visceral level: "He'd connected. It made him feel familiar from the inside out."
Laney and Peter both thrive for emotional connection. Peter is unaware of how essential that is to him until he meets her. She becomes his moral compass and he is awakened. It's a beautiful story that starts with her lyrics and ends with him saving the world! Perfect romantic suspense, right?
IN A NUTSHELL:
Do yourself a favor and pick up this Carolyn Crane book. It is unique and stimulating and one of my favorites for this year.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is an ARC Review originally posted at:
http://loveaffairwithanereader.blogsp...
Off the Edge is book two in The Associates series by Carolyn Crane.
Carolyn Crane writes deliciously complicated stories. They are so smart and clever, it makes me feel smarter after I read them. In Off the Edge, she uses linguistics as the centerpiece of the story. Linguistics is a weapon. I've taken a few linguistic classes in my career and no one has ever made it as fun as Ms. Crane. I bet if language professors could promote linguistics as a superhero skill, there would be lines of students trying to get into classes.
There is a certain quality to Carolyn Crane's writing. I can't quite put my finger on it. All I can say is that when I read her books, I think of movies created in primary colors - like the Dick Tracy movie starring Warren Beatty. I think it is because her characters are colorful. They have unique gifts, oftentimes cerebral talents, like this one. Peter MacMillian is a linguist. He studies pauses, cadences, sounds, slang, and he can track them to a geographic region. It is impressive to realize how much one gives away in the the way one talks and the words one chooses. Yes, it is a language GPS.
He could see a universe in a single word choice. He used his expertise to understand people, and by extension humanity itself.
Yet, there is also ambiguity in this story as well. It is not always clear who the heroes and villains are. People you think are heroes don't always act heroically. Villains are not always who they seem. Like I said, complicated.
This is also a love story. Laney is a poet, singer/songwriter running from her abusive past. She is living in Thailand terrified that her ex-husband will find her. Here she meets Peter, a stranger who shares a similar love for words and poetry. They connect on a visceral level: "He'd connected. It made him feel familiar from the inside out."
Laney and Peter both thrive for emotional connection. Peter is unaware of how essential that is to him until he meets her. She becomes his moral compass and he is awakened. It's a beautiful story that starts with her lyrics and ends with him saving the world! Perfect romantic suspense, right?
IN A NUTSHELL:
Do yourself a favor and pick up this Carolyn Crane book. It is unique and stimulating and one of my favorites for this year.
Thank you to the author, publisher and Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
December 20, 2013
4 Stars for a very interesting suspense story! I loved that it had some of the usual elements- danger, death, etc. but it was an intelligent read. The main characters were basically masters of their words and found that connection. Peter Macmillan Maxwell is a secret agent of sorts who uses his linguistic background as cover. He has a Clark kent appeal to him and I loved it. Laney is like a little changed bird just bursting to get out.
The story had lots of layers to it, and alot of those stories came out in Laney's song writing. I definetly will be picking up additional books in this series as some of the outside players held alot of intrigue, i.e. Fedor, Rio, Dax... Trust me- those guys have a story to tell.
Alot of action, word sleuthing, and some you really feel the characters they are multi-dimensional. There is a little bit of predictablility in it with the whole ex-husband thing and even some heartache on the BFF front, but a worthwhile read!
*This honest review was done in exchange for an ARC through NetGalley- Caroyln Crane and CrushStar Multimedia, LLC*
The story had lots of layers to it, and alot of those stories came out in Laney's song writing. I definetly will be picking up additional books in this series as some of the outside players held alot of intrigue, i.e. Fedor, Rio, Dax... Trust me- those guys have a story to tell.
Alot of action, word sleuthing, and some you really feel the characters they are multi-dimensional. There is a little bit of predictablility in it with the whole ex-husband thing and even some heartache on the BFF front, but a worthwhile read!
*This honest review was done in exchange for an ARC through NetGalley- Caroyln Crane and CrushStar Multimedia, LLC*
July 15, 2015
เรื่องนี้ควรจะได้ห้าดาวค่ะ ทั้งพล็อตเรื่อง คาแร็คเตอร์ การดำเนินเรื่องอยู่ในระดับห้าดาวโดยตลอด เหตุผลเดียวที่เรื่องนี้ไม่ได้ห้าดาว เพราะเหตุการณ์ในเรื่องนี้เกิดขึ้นในกรุงเทพ ประเทศไทย
ไม่ใช่ว่า คนแต่งเขียนถึงประเทศไทยในแง่ไม่ดี (หรือดูถูก) นะคะ อันที่จริงคาโรลินเขียนถึงเมืองไทยอย่างเป็นตรงไปตรงมา เราอ่านเรื่องนี้แล้วรู้สึกถึงความเป็นประเทศไทยที่อยู่ในพล็อตเรื่อง กรุงเทพไม่ใช่แค่สถานที่ที่ถูกกล่าวขึ้น และไม่ได้มีอิทธิพลใด ๆ ต่อเนื้อเรื่อง และคาแร็คเตอร์ที่เป็นคนไทย แม้จะไม่โดดเด่นมากนัก ก็ไม่ใช่ตัวประกอบ หรือออกมาเป็นตัวร้ายปลายแถว
เนื่องจากเราเขียนถึงประเด็นนี้ยาว และมีความเป็นไปได้ว่า อาจจะเป็นเราที่รู้สึกไปแค่คนเดียวก็ได้ค่ะ ดังนั้นซ่อนเอาไว้ในสปอยล์นะคะ ถ้าไม่สนใจก็ข้ามไปอ่านที่ตัวรีวิวกันได้เลย
มันอาจจะเป็นที่ตัวเราคนเดียวก็ได้นะคะ ถ้าคนอื่นไม่ได้คิดว่า สิ่งที่เราพูดถึงเป็นปัญหา ถือว่า คุณโชคดีมาก เพราะเราอยากรู้สึกแบบนั้นจริง ๆ เราอยากที่รักหนังสือเล่มนี้หมดใจ เพราะทุกอย่างในเรื่องนี้ยกเว้นสิ่งที่เรากล่าวไป มันแทบจะสมบูรณ์แบบ
มาถึงตัวเนื้อเรื่องกันบ้าง อย่างที่บอกไปค่ะ ยกเว้นสิ่งรบกวนใจที่เราพูดไปแล้ว เรื่องนี้เกือบจะสมบูรณ์แบบ
เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มที่สองในชุด The Associates ซึ่งเป็นองค์กรสายลับพิทักษ์โลกที่คัดเลือกสายลับมาจากคนที่มีมันสมองอันเป็นเลิศ เล่มนี้เล่าเรื่องของปีเตอร์ แมคมิลลัน ศาสตราจารย์ทางด้านภาษาศาสตร์
เป็นเวลาสิบปีแล้วที่ปีเตอร์ทำงานให้กับ The Associates หลังจากการก่อการร้ายที่พรากครอบครัวของเขาไป ทั้งชีวิตของปีเตอร์ก็คือการแก้แค้น และภูมิหลังที่เป็นนักภาษาศาสตร์ ความเชี่ยวชาญในเรื่องภาษาของเขาเป็นเลิศ และเป็นอาวุธที่ไม่มีใครคิดถึง อาชญากรสามารถผ่าตัดแปลงใบหน้าได้ สามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงตัวตนเป็นใครก็ได้ แต่การใช้ภาษาของพวกเขาไม่เคยเปลี่ยน แมคมิลลันคือผู้ตามล่าหาตัวอาชญากรที่ไม่มีใครรู้จัก ด้วยการติดตามสำเนียงการพูดของพวกเขา
หลังจากที่เราบ่นเล่มแรกว่า ไม่ได้แสดงให้เห็น "ความสามารถ" ทางวิชาการของพระเอกที่เป็นสายลับ เล่มนี้แก้ตัวแทนเลยค่ะ เราอ่านเรื่องนี้แล้วได้ความรู้เกี่ยวกับภาษา (ไม่ได้เรียนภาษานะคะ แต่เป็นการใช้ภาษา) เยอะขึ้น และจะจริงแท้หรือไม่ก็ตาม ทำให้เราเชื่อว่า แมคมิลลันสามารถทำในสิ่งที่เรื่องบอกว่าเขาทำได้ อย่างมีเหตุผล และเป็นไปตามหลักวิชาการ
ภารกิจของแมคมิลลันก็คือ การตามหาผู้เสนอขายอาวุธอันตราย ที่ไม่อาจปล่อยให้ตกไปอยู่ในมือคนร้ายได้ การประมูลอาวุธนั้นถูกจัดกันขึ้นที่โรงแรมในประเทศไทย โดยมีเจ้าภาพคือมาเฟียใหญ่ของไทย ปัญหาคือ ไม่มีใครรู้ว่า เขาหน้าตาเป็นยังไง แต่แมคมิลลันได้ศึกษาการออกเสียงของคนคนนั้นเอาไว้แล้ว ถ้าเพียงแต่เขาสามารถฟังคำสนทนาของแขกในโรงแรม แต่เขาไม่อาจจะเข้าไปยืนฟังคนแปลกหน้าพูดคุยกันโดยไม่เป็นที่สงสัยได้
ทำให้เมื่อเขาสังเกตเห็นลานีย์ นักร้องประจำโรงแรมได้ทำการบันทึกเสียงการร้องของเธอเอาไว้ เขาคิดว่า นี่คือแหล่งข้อมูลอย่างดี (เพราะอาจจะอัดติดการเสียงสนทนาของแขกคนอื่น ๆ ในโรงแรมด้วยได้) เขาจึงทำทุกอย่างเพื่อให้ได้เทปบันทึกนั้นมา และนั่นหมายถึงเขาจะต้องกลายเป็นชายในฝันของลานีย์ เพื่อให้เธอพาเขาไปยังห้องพักของเธอ
นี่เป็นพล็อตเรื่องแนวรักแรกพบ แต่พระเอกไม่ได้หลงรักนางเอกเมื่อแรกเห็น เขาตกหลุมรักนางเอกเมื่อเขาได้ยินเธอใช้ภาษา เราขอบอกว่า ตั้งสติให้ดีก่อนจะอ่านฉากที่พระเอกฟังนางเอกร้องเพลง และตีความหมายในเพลงที่เธอร้องไปพร้อม ๆ กัน ช่างโรแมนติก และเนิร์ดมาก
ลานีย์ไม่ได้เป็นนักร้องธรรมดา ๆ เธอหนีมาประเทศไทยตามคำชวนของเพื่อนสนิท เพื่อต้องการหลบซ่อนจากสามีที่ทำร้ายเธอ และยิ่งหลังจากที่เธอเป็นพยานให้ FBI เอาผิดจนเขาติดคุก ลานีย์ไม่อาจอยู่ในอเมริกาอย่างปลอดภัยได้ ชีวิตในเมืองไทยราบรื่นมาตลอดสองปี แต่เธอก็เหงาเหลือเกิน ดังนั้นการที่เธอได้พบกับผู้ชายที่ราวกับออกมาจากความคิดฝันของเธอ มันก็ช่าง... ยากที่จะห้ามใจ
เรื่องนี้อ่านแล้วสนุกติดพันมาก เราคิดว่า จะอ่านแล้วหยุดนอน ก่อนจะอ่านต่อในวันรุ่งขึ้น แต่ทำไม่ได้ค่ะ สุดท้ายก็เลยเกือบจะไม่ได้นอน เพราะวางไม่ลง เนื้อเรื่องดำเนินเร็ว คาแร็คเตอร์น่าสนใจ และเราชอบ... ชอบ... คือชอบปีเตอร์มาก (คือถ้าสังเกตเราเรียกพระเอกในเรื่องด้วยชื่อที่แตกต่างกันนะคะ เพราะชื่อที่เขาใช้มันเปลี่ยนแปลงไปตามตัวตนที่เขาเป็น)
และเราขอพูดถึงข้อเท็จจริงที่เห็นได้เด่นชัด The Associates มีความเหมือนไม่น้อยกับชุด Ice ของแอนน์ สจ๊วต แต่นี่คือเหตุผลที่เราชอบ และปีเตอร์ แมคมิลลันช่างเหมือนไม่น้อยกับปีเตอร์ แจนเซ่น พระเอกของเรื่อง Cold As Ice ในแง่คาแร็คเตอร์เราคงต้องบอกว่า เหมือนมากค่ะ แถมเหตุการณ์หลายอย่างในเรื่องนี้ยิ่งตอกย้ำความเหมือน (กระทั่งอาการบาดเจ็บจนทำให้เดินกระแผลกเหมือนกัน) แต่ก็แค่นั้นนะคะ ทั้งสองมีความเป็นตัวของตัวเองเด่นชัด เราไม่ได้สับสนระหว่างคนทั้งสอง และคิดว่าเรื่องนี้ดีไม่น้อยไปกว่า Cold As Ice เลยด้วยซ้ำ (ยกเว้นประเด็นกวนใจที่เราเขียนไปตอนแรก)
อ่านเรื่องนี้แล้วขอบอกว่า กลายมาเป็นแฟนหนังสือชุดนี้ของคาโรลิน เครนไปเลยค่ะ ชอบมาก ๆ
ป.ล. ตอนนี้อ่านเล่มสามอยู่ และเมื่อไม่มีเรื่องประเทศไทยมาเกี่ยว ผ่านไปครึ่งเล่ม เราคิดว่า เล่มนี้น่าจะเป็นหนึ่งในหนังสือที่เราชอบมากที่สุดเล่มนึงแห่งปีเลยล่ะ
ไม่ใช่ว่า คนแต่งเขียนถึงประเทศไทยในแง่ไม่ดี (หรือดูถูก) นะคะ อันที่จริงคาโรลินเขียนถึงเมืองไทยอย่างเป็นตรงไปตรงมา เราอ่านเรื่องนี้แล้วรู้สึกถึงความเป็นประเทศไทยที่อยู่ในพล็อตเรื่อง กรุงเทพไม่ใช่แค่สถานที่ที่ถูกกล่าวขึ้น และไม่ได้มีอิทธิพลใด ๆ ต่อเนื้อเรื่อง และคาแร็คเตอร์ที่เป็นคนไทย แม้จะไม่โดดเด่นมากนัก ก็ไม่ใช่ตัวประกอบ หรือออกมาเป็นตัวร้ายปลายแถว
เนื่องจากเราเขียนถึงประเด็นนี้ยาว และมีความเป็นไปได้ว่า อาจจะเป็นเราที่รู้สึกไปแค่คนเดียวก็ได้ค่ะ ดังนั้นซ่อนเอาไว้ในสปอยล์นะคะ ถ้าไม่สนใจก็ข้ามไปอ่านที่ตัวรีวิวกันได้เลย
มันอาจจะเป็นที่ตัวเราคนเดียวก็ได้นะคะ ถ้าคนอื่นไม่ได้คิดว่า สิ่งที่เราพูดถึงเป็นปัญหา ถือว่า คุณโชคดีมาก เพราะเราอยากรู้สึกแบบนั้นจริง ๆ เราอยากที่รักหนังสือเล่มนี้หมดใจ เพราะทุกอย่างในเรื่องนี้ยกเว้นสิ่งที่เรากล่าวไป มันแทบจะสมบูรณ์แบบ
มาถึงตัวเนื้อเรื่องกันบ้าง อย่างที่บอกไปค่ะ ยกเว้นสิ่งรบกวนใจที่เราพูดไปแล้ว เรื่องนี้เกือบจะสมบูรณ์แบบ
เรื่องนี้เป็นเล่มที่สองในชุด The Associates ซึ่งเป็นองค์กรสายลับพิทักษ์โลกที่คัดเลือกสายลับมาจากคนที่มีมันสมองอันเป็นเลิศ เล่มนี้เล่าเรื่องของปีเตอร์ แมคมิลลัน ศาสตราจารย์ทางด้านภาษาศาสตร์
เป็นเวลาสิบปีแล้วที่ปีเตอร์ทำงานให้กับ The Associates หลังจากการก่อการร้ายที่พรากครอบครัวของเขาไป ทั้งชีวิตของปีเตอร์ก็คือการแก้แค้น และภูมิหลังที่เป็นนักภาษาศาสตร์ ความเชี่ยวชาญในเรื่องภาษาของเขาเป็นเลิศ และเป็นอาวุธที่ไม่มีใครคิดถึง อาชญากรสามารถผ่าตัดแปลงใบหน้าได้ สามารถเปลี่ยนแปลงตัวตนเป็นใครก็ได้ แต่การใช้ภาษาของพวกเขาไม่เคยเปลี่ยน แมคมิลลันคือผู้ตามล่าหาตัวอาชญากรที่ไม่มีใครรู้จัก ด้วยการติดตามสำเนียงการพูดของพวกเขา
หลังจากที่เราบ่นเล่มแรกว่า ไม่ได้แสดงให้เห็น "ความสามารถ" ทางวิชาการของพระเอกที่เป็นสายลับ เล่มนี้แก้ตัวแทนเลยค่ะ เราอ่านเรื่องนี้แล้วได้ความรู้เกี่ยวกับภาษา (ไม่ได้เรียนภาษานะคะ แต่เป็นการใช้ภาษา) เยอะขึ้น และจะจริงแท้หรือไม่ก็ตาม ทำให้เราเชื่อว่า แมคมิลลันสามารถทำในสิ่งที่เรื่องบอกว่าเขาทำได้ อย่างมีเหตุผล และเป็นไปตามหลักวิชาการ
ภารกิจของแมคมิลลันก็คือ การตามหาผู้เสนอขายอาวุธอันตราย ที่ไม่อาจปล่อยให้ตกไปอยู่ในมือคนร้ายได้ การประมูลอาวุธนั้นถูกจัดกันขึ้นที่โรงแรมในประเทศไทย โดยมีเจ้าภาพคือมาเฟียใหญ่ของไทย ปัญหาคือ ไม่มีใครรู้ว่า เขาหน้าตาเป็นยังไง แต่แมคมิลลันได้ศึกษาการออกเสียงของคนคนนั้นเอาไว้แล้ว ถ้าเพียงแต่เขาสามารถฟังคำสนทนาของแขกในโรงแรม แต่เขาไม่อาจจะเข้าไปยืนฟังคนแปลกหน้าพูดคุยกันโดยไม่เป็นที่สงสัยได้
ทำให้เมื่อเขาสังเกตเห็นลานีย์ นักร้องประจำโรงแรมได้ทำการบันทึกเสียงการร้องของเธอเอาไว้ เขาคิดว่า นี่คือแหล่งข้อมูลอย่างดี (เพราะอาจจะอัดติดการเสียงสนทนาของแขกคนอื่น ๆ ในโรงแรมด้วยได้) เขาจึงทำทุกอย่างเพื่อให้ได้เทปบันทึกนั้นมา และนั่นหมายถึงเขาจะต้องกลายเป็นชายในฝันของลานีย์ เพื่อให้เธอพาเขาไปยังห้องพักของเธอ
นี่เป็นพล็อตเรื่องแนวรักแรกพบ แต่พระเอกไม่ได้หลงรักนางเอกเมื่อแรกเห็น เขาตกหลุมรักนางเอกเมื่อเขาได้ยินเธอใช้ภาษา เราขอบอกว่า ตั้งสติให้ดีก่อนจะอ่านฉากที่พระเอกฟังนางเอกร้องเพลง และตีความหมายในเพลงที่เธอร้องไปพร้อม ๆ กัน ช่างโรแมนติก และเนิร์ดมาก
ลานีย์ไม่ได้เป็นนักร้องธรรมดา ๆ เธอหนีมาประเทศไทยตามคำชวนของเพื่อนสนิท เพื่อต้องการหลบซ่อนจากสามีที่ทำร้ายเธอ และยิ่งหลังจากที่เธอเป็นพยานให้ FBI เอาผิดจนเขาติดคุก ลานีย์ไม่อาจอยู่ในอเมริกาอย่างปลอดภัยได้ ชีวิตในเมืองไทยราบรื่นมาตลอดสองปี แต่เธอก็เหงาเหลือเกิน ดังนั้นการที่เธอได้พบกับผู้ชายที่ราวกับออกมาจากความคิดฝันของเธอ มันก็ช่าง... ยากที่จะห้ามใจ
เรื่องนี้อ่านแล้วสนุกติดพันมาก เราคิดว่า จะอ่านแล้วหยุดนอน ก่อนจะอ่านต่อในวันรุ่งขึ้น แต่ทำไม่ได้ค่ะ สุดท้ายก็เลยเกือบจะไม่ได้นอน เพราะวางไม่ลง เนื้อเรื่องดำเนินเร็ว คาแร็คเตอร์น่าสนใจ และเราชอบ... ชอบ... คือชอบปีเตอร์มาก (คือถ้าสังเกตเราเรียกพระเอกในเรื่องด้วยชื่อที่แตกต่างกันนะคะ เพราะชื่อที่เขาใช้มันเปลี่ยนแปลงไปตามตัวตนที่เขาเป็น)
และเราขอพูดถึงข้อเท็จจริงที่เห็นได้เด่นชัด The Associates มีความเหมือนไม่น้อยกับชุด Ice ของแอนน์ สจ๊วต แต่นี่คือเหตุผลที่เราชอบ และปีเตอร์ แมคมิลลันช่างเหมือนไม่น้อยกับปีเตอร์ แจนเซ่น พระเอกของเรื่อง Cold As Ice ในแง่คาแร็คเตอร์เราคงต้องบอกว่า เหมือนมากค่ะ แถมเหตุการณ์หลายอย่างในเรื่องนี้ยิ่งตอกย้ำความเหมือน (กระทั่งอาการบาดเจ็บจนทำให้เดินกระแผลกเหมือนกัน) แต่ก็แค่นั้นนะคะ ทั้งสองมีความเป็นตัวของตัวเองเด่นชัด เราไม่ได้สับสนระหว่างคนทั้งสอง และคิดว่าเรื่องนี้ดีไม่น้อยไปกว่า Cold As Ice เลยด้วยซ้ำ (ยกเว้นประเด็นกวนใจที่เราเขียนไปตอนแรก)
อ่านเรื่องนี้แล้วขอบอกว่า กลายมาเป็นแฟนหนังสือชุดนี้ของคาโรลิน เครนไปเลยค่ะ ชอบมาก ๆ
ป.ล. ตอนนี้อ่านเล่มสามอยู่ และเมื่อไม่มีเรื่องประเทศไทยมาเกี่ยว ผ่านไปครึ่งเล่ม เราคิดว่า เล่มนี้น่าจะเป็นหนึ่งในหนังสือที่เราชอบมากที่สุดเล่มนึงแห่งปีเลยล่ะ
October 22, 2021
The English teacher in me loved the linguistics aspect of the story--and how the undercover professor and the poet/lounge singer could relate so well and create such tension and emotion through language. Tons of action and violence--almost to the point where it got to be, "Again?"--but the climactic battle at the end was a huge payoff. Plotwise, I figured out who was who before they were revealed, but she's a new-to-me author, and I will be reading her again.
November 26, 2015
I usually don't do full reviews (these are mostly intended as notes to remind me what it was about.) But this one sent me into a full-size rant. You're hereby warned!
This book had everything. A sexy, smart, dangerous hero; exotic settings around the world, like Bangkok; a highly proficient, deadly, secret organization of good guys; international terrorists and gangstas. A well-written plot based on a high-tech scary weapon getting in the wrong hands; a hero who uses an unusual and brainy skill to get the bad guys; hot sex.
Almost everything. Then came the Too Stupid to Live heroine. This girl had me groaning. You know the type: "I'm a lounge singer in hiding from my sadistic ex and you're a trained secret agent but I'm going to ignore everything you say because I have to save you!" type. I hated her. But the book was so good I kept reading. At first there was some excuse since she thought our hero was a scholarly professor. Although there were some pretty obvious clues that he was MORE. But even after she found out he's an agent on a mission and part of a close-knit group of equally dangerous comrades, she kept on putting her foot in it. I just skimmed the last quarter of the book so I could find out how the clever author wound up the plot. It was a great ending but even there, the heroine is throwing herself in the way
So I liked the story but that heroine brings it down to a three.
This book had everything. A sexy, smart, dangerous hero; exotic settings around the world, like Bangkok; a highly proficient, deadly, secret organization of good guys; international terrorists and gangstas. A well-written plot based on a high-tech scary weapon getting in the wrong hands; a hero who uses an unusual and brainy skill to get the bad guys; hot sex.
Almost everything. Then came the Too Stupid to Live heroine. This girl had me groaning. You know the type: "I'm a lounge singer in hiding from my sadistic ex and you're a trained secret agent but I'm going to ignore everything you say because I have to save you!" type. I hated her. But the book was so good I kept reading. At first there was some excuse since she thought our hero was a scholarly professor. Although there were some pretty obvious clues that he was MORE. But even after she found out he's an agent on a mission and part of a close-knit group of equally dangerous comrades, she kept on putting her foot in it. I just skimmed the last quarter of the book so I could find out how the clever author wound up the plot. It was a great ending but even there, the heroine is throwing herself in the way
So I liked the story but that heroine brings it down to a three.
May 5, 2014
Ohhh... I was expecting a couple like in the previous book, but instead I found a likable hero and a poetry-sprouting heroine!
I'm soooo disappointed!!!
Laney was such an idiot! How could Peter fall for her????!!!! Grrrrr!!!!
I'm soooo disappointed!!!
Laney was such an idiot! How could Peter fall for her????!!!! Grrrrr!!!!
January 23, 2014
Laney has been hiding in Bangkok from her abusive husband for the last two years, living and working as a singer in a hotel run by her friends. But something doesn't feel right and although her husband is in jail and not due out anytime soon, she can't help feeling he is right on her tail, especially when she thinks she spots his right hand man in Bangkok. Peter Macmillan is an agent for the Association, his secret talent: linguistics. He can track a man just by the way he speaks and at the moment he is on the hunt for Jazzman, a dangerous man who is auctioning a deadly weapon to the highest bidder. His hunt brings him to Laney, seducing her should be easy, but she manages to break through is detachment and bring out a side of him he thought long dead.
I am not normally a fan of the romantic suspense genre, but I am hooked on Carolyn Cranes Associates series. Her secret agents all have unique abilities that you wouldn't normally associate with a 007 type, in Against the Dark it was an agent specialising in logistics and in this book it was linguistics. But that is what I like about Carolyn Crane, she finds a genre and shakes it up a bit and gives it a twist, presenting you with something new and exciting to read.
Macmillan made an interesting hero and not what you would normally expect, he was brains rather than brawn and did actually spend a lot of this book beaten up and half dead, yet persevering anyways. Not that he always seemed heroic nor was he a dry and dusty scholarly type, he had a sharp and sometimes cruel wit and used humour at the darkest time. I loved seeing reluctantly him fall for Laney, it was both incredibly poignant and really steamy. Laney was almost the opposite to Macmillan, although they both have an avid interest in words, she is all about connection and emotion, she was also strangely naieve for someone on the run from a dangerously abusive ex husband. But it all seemed to work. She did make some questionable decisions, which put her in a dangerous position and yet I never felt myself getting exasperated with her as you could see why and emphasis with her.
Maybe I shouldn't be too surprised when this is a book where a poet and a linguist pair up, but the writing in this book was also beautiful. They way Carolyn Crane described and built the connection between Laney and Macmillan, with their mutual love of words and writing was brilliant, vivid and full of emotion and the dialogue between them was clever and exciting as they sparked off each other; they really brought Off the Edge to life.
Another fantasic book by Carolyn Crane, her books just keep getting better and better and I can't wait to see what she brings out next.
* ARC provided by author
December 26, 2021
Bangkok. Maxwell es un, ejem, lingüista infiltrado. No un espía, pero algo parecido. Busca un arma poderosísima que se va a subastar en el mercado negro. Laney, cantante, lleva dos años huyendo de su brutal ex. Disfrazada, a su manera. O sea, haciendo todo lo que no debería. Creo que no me he encontrado una heroína TSTL más lerda que esta y, sin embargo, me ha encantado. Mucha acción y un entorno exótico. Pero, para mí, lo que marca la diferencia, son las palabras. Ella con su poesía y él, sobre todo, con su análisis de la forma de hablar, de las expresiones que usamos, de los fonemas. He descubierto que soy toda una friki de las palabras y los sonidos. Ay, esas fricativas, sonoras y sordas... Y sí, hay un par de escenas sexis, que lo uno no quita lo otro.
Crítica amplia, en mi blog.
Crítica amplia, en mi blog.
September 23, 2016
4,5 stars
This was my TBRchallenge book for July. Clearly I wasn’t able to participate in the reviewing in July as I finished it after the date we were supposed to post our thoughts on the read books and I’m just now writing up my review of it.
The theme for July was Award Nominee or Winner and I chose
OFF THE EDGE by Carolyn Crane because it was the 2014 Best Romantic Suspense RITA Award Winner. IIRC it was the first self-pubbed book to win.
And wow! I understand why this was a RITA Awards winner! What an awesome book!
The suspense, the characters, the romance, the writing, the author's voice...it all came together to create one of the best romantic suspense books I've read in quite some time.
I loved Laney and Macmillan as separate characters a lot but loved them even more together. There was something magical between them.
And while there were things (stuff about Rolly) I suspected early on in the book, there were more twists and turns that I totally didn't see coming (stuff about people who were not who they seemed to be) and this thrilled me to no end.
I was blown away by the suspense and the linguistic stuff woven into the book. BLOWN. AWAY!!! The villain (in more ways than one) was scary AF and a true psychopath. His horrid and violent ways gave me chills while reading.
The secondary cast is amazing. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The suspense was so intricate, the writing was so mesmerizing and the emotional pay-off was so satisfying that I didn't mind that much that the sexy scenes were limited to just two over the course of the entire book
I really hope to read the next in this series soon as I have really liked the first two books and can’t wait to see what Crane has in store for us next.
This was my TBRchallenge book for July. Clearly I wasn’t able to participate in the reviewing in July as I finished it after the date we were supposed to post our thoughts on the read books and I’m just now writing up my review of it.
The theme for July was Award Nominee or Winner and I chose
OFF THE EDGE by Carolyn Crane because it was the 2014 Best Romantic Suspense RITA Award Winner. IIRC it was the first self-pubbed book to win.
And wow! I understand why this was a RITA Awards winner! What an awesome book!
The suspense, the characters, the romance, the writing, the author's voice...it all came together to create one of the best romantic suspense books I've read in quite some time.
I loved Laney and Macmillan as separate characters a lot but loved them even more together. There was something magical between them.
And while there were things (stuff about Rolly) I suspected early on in the book, there were more twists and turns that I totally didn't see coming (stuff about people who were not who they seemed to be) and this thrilled me to no end.
I was blown away by the suspense and the linguistic stuff woven into the book. BLOWN. AWAY!!! The villain (in more ways than one) was scary AF and a true psychopath. His horrid and violent ways gave me chills while reading.
The secondary cast is amazing. I was on the edge of my seat from start to finish. The suspense was so intricate, the writing was so mesmerizing and the emotional pay-off was so satisfying that I didn't mind that much that the sexy scenes were limited to just two over the course of the entire book
I really hope to read the next in this series soon as I have really liked the first two books and can’t wait to see what Crane has in store for us next.
July 22, 2017
My review and an extended sample of the audiobook are posted at Hotlistens.com.
I love the stories in this series, which I’ve listened to out of order. I listened book three last year and enjoyed it. This series consists of a guy who is deep undercover. It is hard to tell if he is a good guy or a bad one. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The heroine for Off the Edge, Laney, is on the run and hiding for a very dangerous man. She is a little naive, but not too bad. There are a few things I don’t like about this series. There are phrases that are repeated too frequently. Also, each character goes by so many different names, actual first name, actual last name, undercover first name, undercover last name and nicknames. It was a little hard to keep up who we are talking about. Neither of these prevented me from enjoying the story overall.
Narration
Narration by Romy Nordlinger while not my favorite, wasn’t bad. I think it was mostly the non-dialogue that I didn’t like. When she was voicing the characters, I didn’t mind the voices used.
I love the stories in this series, which I’ve listened to out of order. I listened book three last year and enjoyed it. This series consists of a guy who is deep undercover. It is hard to tell if he is a good guy or a bad one. I think the truth lies somewhere in the middle. The heroine for Off the Edge, Laney, is on the run and hiding for a very dangerous man. She is a little naive, but not too bad. There are a few things I don’t like about this series. There are phrases that are repeated too frequently. Also, each character goes by so many different names, actual first name, actual last name, undercover first name, undercover last name and nicknames. It was a little hard to keep up who we are talking about. Neither of these prevented me from enjoying the story overall.
Narration
Narration by Romy Nordlinger while not my favorite, wasn’t bad. I think it was mostly the non-dialogue that I didn’t like. When she was voicing the characters, I didn’t mind the voices used.
October 12, 2016
I love a crazy smart, hot hero and Carolyn Crane writes him perfectly. These books are intelligent with well crafted plots. They are also, for the most part, standalone stories. This time around our nerd hero's superpower is linguistics and he used it to save the world and win the girl. Well, he saves the girl too.
Peter Macmillan Maxwell is an Association agent. His specialty is linguistics and he needs to use it to find a baddie who has a weapon of mass destruction he plans to auction off to the highest bidder. He just needs a voice match to find the guy and he thinks Laney is the key.
Laney has been hiding out in Bangkok for two years from a really nasty, abusive ex, who is in prison, but that didn't curtail his power. She is a lounge singer who attracts the interest of Macmillan and the two share a very hot, steamy passionate encounter until Laney catches him copying files from her computer.
Peter Macmillan Maxwell is an Association agent. His specialty is linguistics and he needs to use it to find a baddie who has a weapon of mass destruction he plans to auction off to the highest bidder. He just needs a voice match to find the guy and he thinks Laney is the key.
Laney has been hiding out in Bangkok for two years from a really nasty, abusive ex, who is in prison, but that didn't curtail his power. She is a lounge singer who attracts the interest of Macmillan and the two share a very hot, steamy passionate encounter until Laney catches him copying files from her computer.
December 23, 2013
I want to like military romance (or, well, this sort of quasi-military romance with vigilante mercenary groups), but I so often find myself with the same complaint: the women are always damsels in distress. I guess that's just part of the sub-genre, but it's something I don't enjoy. I'd much rather read about two strong characters coming together as equals than a story about an idiot woman being rescued over and over again by some sort of mercenary superhero dude. In this set-up, the man saves the woman from physical danger and in return she ~heals his broken soul~. This was merely yet another one of those, albeit with a linguistic twist that probably bumps it up half a star. I find myself with the same reaction I always have though: I yawn, roll my eyes, and move on.
Note: Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy.
Note: Thanks to NetGalley for providing an advance reader copy.
May 14, 2020
I brought this Carolyn Crane out from the depths of my unread Kindle collection, a book I purchased who knows how long ago on the recommendation from someone. Sorry, it is all a bit fuzzy.
I don't typically like romance covers with guns on them but I am also a sucker for a thigh holster so don't @ me. I am always so-so with Romantic Suspense because it is hard to find ones that meet the perfect balance of action and romance for me. Off the Edge skewed a bit over the line into too much action for my personal reading tastes, but I enjoyed reading it.
CWs: violence, so much violence (guns, physical, rape mentioned and threatened, domestic abuse), medical gore, gas lighting, on-page torture.
I loved the concept of a buttoned up linguistics professor who turned into a spy/secret agent/assassin after his family and wife were brutally murdered. He uses his education to pin point where bad actors could be from, narrowing down who they could be based on their speech patterns, dialect, and use of words. VERY intriguing concept and well done here.
Laney, on the run from her awful abusive ex, is hiding in Thailand and moonlighting as a lounge singer where she encounters Macmillan. She thinks he's been hired to bring her back, but he's actually on the hunt for an unknown bad person who is trying to sell a top secret super lethal drone. Of course their paths converge and they finally instantly into lust and then are on the run together, danger bang!
I won't spoil the rest of the plot, but it is definitely OTT. The parts with Laney and Macmillan bantering and explaining their pasts sparkle, I just wish there was more danger banging and less torture/fighting/violence. A bit insta-lusty/lovey for me too, and Laney is really trustworthy of too many people considering her past.
Also there's a magic penis! Laney has never orgasmed with a partner before, I mean, abusive horrible husband so yes I get that, but of course she is able to come more than once with Macmillan their very first time. I wish this was handled more sensitively or not a plot point at all.
I don't typically like romance covers with guns on them but I am also a sucker for a thigh holster so don't @ me. I am always so-so with Romantic Suspense because it is hard to find ones that meet the perfect balance of action and romance for me. Off the Edge skewed a bit over the line into too much action for my personal reading tastes, but I enjoyed reading it.
CWs: violence, so much violence (guns, physical, rape mentioned and threatened, domestic abuse), medical gore, gas lighting, on-page torture.
I loved the concept of a buttoned up linguistics professor who turned into a spy/secret agent/assassin after his family and wife were brutally murdered. He uses his education to pin point where bad actors could be from, narrowing down who they could be based on their speech patterns, dialect, and use of words. VERY intriguing concept and well done here.
Laney, on the run from her awful abusive ex, is hiding in Thailand and moonlighting as a lounge singer where she encounters Macmillan. She thinks he's been hired to bring her back, but he's actually on the hunt for an unknown bad person who is trying to sell a top secret super lethal drone. Of course their paths converge and they finally instantly into lust and then are on the run together, danger bang!
I won't spoil the rest of the plot, but it is definitely OTT. The parts with Laney and Macmillan bantering and explaining their pasts sparkle, I just wish there was more danger banging and less torture/fighting/violence. A bit insta-lusty/lovey for me too, and Laney is really trustworthy of too many people considering her past.
Also there's a magic penis! Laney has never orgasmed with a partner before, I mean, abusive horrible husband so yes I get that, but of course she is able to come more than once with Macmillan their very first time. I wish this was handled more sensitively or not a plot point at all.
November 9, 2025
Well this one was definitely more action packed and had way more violence than the first book. The FMC kind of frustrated me bc she was awfully trusting and naive for a woman who was in an abusive marriage. You’d think she’d be a bit more wary but nope! I wish there’d been more danger banging but overall, it kept my interest. There are several scenes depicting graphic violence and torture and lots of gunshots.
December 2, 2018
This review was originally posted on Books of My Heart
I loved the importance of linguistics to this story. Peter is a marvel. I'm not sure if Laney is brave or TSTL. I hate how trapped Laney was in her situation. Their connection felt authentic. Both of them kept working to save the other. I did think sometimes their being distracted with the other person would cause their death, but this is a romance. Off the Edge was full of heart-pounding action and sexy!
I loved the importance of linguistics to this story. Peter is a marvel. I'm not sure if Laney is brave or TSTL. I hate how trapped Laney was in her situation. Their connection felt authentic. Both of them kept working to save the other. I did think sometimes their being distracted with the other person would cause their death, but this is a romance. Off the Edge was full of heart-pounding action and sexy!
February 3, 2014
Last year Carolyn Crane published Against the Dark, the first in this Associates series and I remember how much I liked it – but I think Off the Edge is even better. And just to note, these can be read as total stand alones.
Peter Macmillan works for The Associates, a spy-type organization that works on its own bringing down the bad guys – sometimes for the government, sometimes for their own reasons. Peter specializes in linguistics. When he hears someone speak, he analyzes every single little sound that comes out of their mouth.
He could see a universe in a single word choice. He used his expertise to understand people, and by extension, humanity itself.
These days, he used his ability to ferret out scum. Fugitives who’s used plastic surgery to change their appearance. Killers.
To try to make a long set-up of this book short – Peter is hunting a weapon called TZ for the Associates. But it is also personal, as his entire family was killed in a terrorist attack years ago. He got his revenge for that, but this weapon reminds him of that devastation. He will do anything to stop it.
Laney Lancaster married a very mean, wanted man (oopsie!), and even after she helped the FBI get him in prison, she is still being hunted by his men. She fled to Bangkok with the help of a friend, and is currently a lounge singer at a hotel – a hotel where Peter is waiting for the supposed transaction of this weapon. He hears Laney singing one night while scoping out some people, and can’t get her out of his mind. They meet (there is some verra hot smexy times) and then they get mushed together (that’s a very technical term) in this high-action suspense story.
This is such a well crafted story. I felt like such care was taken with the details and weaving the romance and action and backstory all together so delicately. And all the while these characters are so reflective of Carolyn Crane’s style. She makes Peter this brilliant , glasses-wearing, undershirt-wearing guy who you trust immediately as the good guy – yet he will use Laney for sex to get access to her computer records that may bring him one step closer to the weapon. That contrast worked so well for me. And he is just so cool and calm in the face of danger. He wants revenge on all types of terrorist weapons so badly, that he puts aside his conscience sometimes to get at it. Laney brings that bit of humanity back to him.
Laney is used to being on the run from her baddie husband but is by no means an expert at evading bad guys like Peter is. Laney may have made a poor choice in a husband, but it doesn’t mean she is dumb. She realizes quick that people in her life may not be trustworthy and she uses her gut a lot in this book to make decisions. She is frightened, rightfully so, but doesn’t let that fear drive her to do stupid things. I liked her spirit so much.
And while these two race around Bangkok trying to survive, they have sexy times too. When Peter first sees Laney singing, she is wearing knee-high stockings and this makes Peter think dirty thoughts. So when he gets her alone, he must explore this area thoroughly.
“The nylon socks? Are ruthless?”
He gave her a devilish smile. “Ruthless.” He stroked his heavy hand from bare thigh to nylon. She loved the way the sensation changed when he did that. Bare skin to nylon. Nylon to bare skin. Heat built between her legs. She clenched the muscles between her thighs to stop the feeling overload.
It didn’t stop the feeling overload.
“The elastic,” he said, tracing a finger over the brown band just below her right knee. “These tight elastic bands. Hot and a little bit evil.”
She could barely breathe. “The elastic? That’s your favorite place?”
“Not exactly.” He hooked a finger over the elastic band and pulled it out. Angry pink lines furrowed her skin where the elastic had grabbed tight to her calf for hours. She got the crazy sense that he was exposing a tender secret.
Then he blew. The sudden puff of air was cool bliss on the tortured little band of skin. “Oh, my God,” she panted, clutching his hair way too hard. He’d found and invaded the tenderest part of her.
Then he kissed it, lips like silk.
It was such a forbidden place to kiss. And unexpected, too—that made it way dirtier.
“Do it again,” she begged, startled to hear her own voice say that.
He smiled up at her, just a little bit evil.
He wouldn’t do it again.
Such a quirky thing to make sexy – and it works so well for these two.
We are introduced to some of Peter’s err – co-workers who each intrigue me so much – I can’t wait to get books for all of them!
Highly recommend this one.
Rating: B+
Peter Macmillan works for The Associates, a spy-type organization that works on its own bringing down the bad guys – sometimes for the government, sometimes for their own reasons. Peter specializes in linguistics. When he hears someone speak, he analyzes every single little sound that comes out of their mouth.
He could see a universe in a single word choice. He used his expertise to understand people, and by extension, humanity itself.
These days, he used his ability to ferret out scum. Fugitives who’s used plastic surgery to change their appearance. Killers.
To try to make a long set-up of this book short – Peter is hunting a weapon called TZ for the Associates. But it is also personal, as his entire family was killed in a terrorist attack years ago. He got his revenge for that, but this weapon reminds him of that devastation. He will do anything to stop it.
Laney Lancaster married a very mean, wanted man (oopsie!), and even after she helped the FBI get him in prison, she is still being hunted by his men. She fled to Bangkok with the help of a friend, and is currently a lounge singer at a hotel – a hotel where Peter is waiting for the supposed transaction of this weapon. He hears Laney singing one night while scoping out some people, and can’t get her out of his mind. They meet (there is some verra hot smexy times) and then they get mushed together (that’s a very technical term) in this high-action suspense story.
This is such a well crafted story. I felt like such care was taken with the details and weaving the romance and action and backstory all together so delicately. And all the while these characters are so reflective of Carolyn Crane’s style. She makes Peter this brilliant , glasses-wearing, undershirt-wearing guy who you trust immediately as the good guy – yet he will use Laney for sex to get access to her computer records that may bring him one step closer to the weapon. That contrast worked so well for me. And he is just so cool and calm in the face of danger. He wants revenge on all types of terrorist weapons so badly, that he puts aside his conscience sometimes to get at it. Laney brings that bit of humanity back to him.
Laney is used to being on the run from her baddie husband but is by no means an expert at evading bad guys like Peter is. Laney may have made a poor choice in a husband, but it doesn’t mean she is dumb. She realizes quick that people in her life may not be trustworthy and she uses her gut a lot in this book to make decisions. She is frightened, rightfully so, but doesn’t let that fear drive her to do stupid things. I liked her spirit so much.
And while these two race around Bangkok trying to survive, they have sexy times too. When Peter first sees Laney singing, she is wearing knee-high stockings and this makes Peter think dirty thoughts. So when he gets her alone, he must explore this area thoroughly.
“The nylon socks? Are ruthless?”
He gave her a devilish smile. “Ruthless.” He stroked his heavy hand from bare thigh to nylon. She loved the way the sensation changed when he did that. Bare skin to nylon. Nylon to bare skin. Heat built between her legs. She clenched the muscles between her thighs to stop the feeling overload.
It didn’t stop the feeling overload.
“The elastic,” he said, tracing a finger over the brown band just below her right knee. “These tight elastic bands. Hot and a little bit evil.”
She could barely breathe. “The elastic? That’s your favorite place?”
“Not exactly.” He hooked a finger over the elastic band and pulled it out. Angry pink lines furrowed her skin where the elastic had grabbed tight to her calf for hours. She got the crazy sense that he was exposing a tender secret.
Then he blew. The sudden puff of air was cool bliss on the tortured little band of skin. “Oh, my God,” she panted, clutching his hair way too hard. He’d found and invaded the tenderest part of her.
Then he kissed it, lips like silk.
It was such a forbidden place to kiss. And unexpected, too—that made it way dirtier.
“Do it again,” she begged, startled to hear her own voice say that.
He smiled up at her, just a little bit evil.
He wouldn’t do it again.
Such a quirky thing to make sexy – and it works so well for these two.
We are introduced to some of Peter’s err – co-workers who each intrigue me so much – I can’t wait to get books for all of them!
Highly recommend this one.
Rating: B+
December 28, 2013
Originally Reviewed For: Tea and Book
Off the Edge is book two in Carolyn Crane's Association Series. It's a gritty and dark book set in steamy Bangkok, which where for a price you can buy anything.
Laney Lancastoryis on the run from a controlling, abusive husband. Sure he has been in prison for two years but Laney knows just how far his power reaches, even behind bars. Having escaped the states with the help of a friend and her family, Laney has been living on nothing but nerves and instinct and her instinct says something is up.
Secret Agent Peter MacMillan can find anyone just by using their voice. Syntax and dipthongs are his stock in trade. And he is in Bangkok to find the man who plans to sell a powerful weapon to the highest bidder. The last thing he needs is the distraction of some songbird in hiding. But her words call to the linguist in him.
Laney and Peter are at cross purposes from the very beginning, Laney is trying to hide from her past and Peter is trying to hide from everyone else.
I enjoyed this book but... there was something missing. Laney was ridiculously naive and totally clueless. I can understand this behavior in someone forced into this world but two years in? A person would be edgier, darker less trusting. She would question everyone and everything and yet Laney just sort of exists. Sure her friends brothers have questionable ethics but they are really nice guys... *snort* her friend who she met like three weeks before she needed to escape is obviously beyond reproach. And meet a man in a bar, the same day you think you see your husband's henchman, sure sneak out if your protected environment to spend time with him. On the streets of Bangkok... see clueless..
Peter is a bit better, he is a man who has shut down all his emotions and closed the doors to his past. Usually totally and completely focused for some reason his walls are cracking and he is beginning to loose sight of the goal. Caught between completing the job and saving the girl.
I expected non stop action what I got was a slow role that slowly picked up momentum. It wasn't until about halfway through that I finally found a rhythm and begin to enjoy the story.
There were too many predictable plotlines going on, including who the bad guy was.. even the "surprise" good guy had a taste of obviousness. Like I said.. I liked this book but I wanted more. Hopefully, the next book will give me that edge I am looking for.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Off the Edge, provided by netgalley
Off the Edge is book two in Carolyn Crane's Association Series. It's a gritty and dark book set in steamy Bangkok, which where for a price you can buy anything.
Laney Lancastoryis on the run from a controlling, abusive husband. Sure he has been in prison for two years but Laney knows just how far his power reaches, even behind bars. Having escaped the states with the help of a friend and her family, Laney has been living on nothing but nerves and instinct and her instinct says something is up.
Secret Agent Peter MacMillan can find anyone just by using their voice. Syntax and dipthongs are his stock in trade. And he is in Bangkok to find the man who plans to sell a powerful weapon to the highest bidder. The last thing he needs is the distraction of some songbird in hiding. But her words call to the linguist in him.
Laney and Peter are at cross purposes from the very beginning, Laney is trying to hide from her past and Peter is trying to hide from everyone else.
I enjoyed this book but... there was something missing. Laney was ridiculously naive and totally clueless. I can understand this behavior in someone forced into this world but two years in? A person would be edgier, darker less trusting. She would question everyone and everything and yet Laney just sort of exists. Sure her friends brothers have questionable ethics but they are really nice guys... *snort* her friend who she met like three weeks before she needed to escape is obviously beyond reproach. And meet a man in a bar, the same day you think you see your husband's henchman, sure sneak out if your protected environment to spend time with him. On the streets of Bangkok... see clueless..
Peter is a bit better, he is a man who has shut down all his emotions and closed the doors to his past. Usually totally and completely focused for some reason his walls are cracking and he is beginning to loose sight of the goal. Caught between completing the job and saving the girl.
I expected non stop action what I got was a slow role that slowly picked up momentum. It wasn't until about halfway through that I finally found a rhythm and begin to enjoy the story.
There were too many predictable plotlines going on, including who the bad guy was.. even the "surprise" good guy had a taste of obviousness. Like I said.. I liked this book but I wanted more. Hopefully, the next book will give me that edge I am looking for.
Shauni
This review is based on the ARC of Off the Edge, provided by netgalley
December 26, 2013
This was a great introduction to this author for me. I really liked this book. I did kind of see it a little similar (crossover in my brain, not the actual story itself) with Indiana Jones & the Temple of Doom. This story took place in Bangkok, in the cheesy section... Laney is hiding, as a lounge singer, from an abusively controlling husband who has a far reach & MacMillan is undercover trying to thwart an arms deal. Their worlds collide by accident & then they have to deal with all of this together as it comes full circle.
It was pretty good & the story was complete. There is a lot to this story which makes it seem lengthy, but I can't say that some should be taken out, because it was all pretty important. Sooo if you like stories to last a while & keep you entertained for a few days at least, this is the book.
Excellent writer & great characters... I could feel the cheesy broken down side of Bangkok which was a little weird. Really good, but weird, like I was there...
It was pretty good & the story was complete. There is a lot to this story which makes it seem lengthy, but I can't say that some should be taken out, because it was all pretty important. Sooo if you like stories to last a while & keep you entertained for a few days at least, this is the book.
Excellent writer & great characters... I could feel the cheesy broken down side of Bangkok which was a little weird. Really good, but weird, like I was there...
Displaying 1 - 30 of 239 reviews